Montreal Botanical Garden is one for the bucket list
I wish I lived next door each time I visit, but I fear I might lose incentive to grow plants of my own when the place over the fence grows bigger, better, and rarer plants. But then it isn’t your average garden.
Covering 75 hectares with a collection of 22,000 plant species and cultivars, the Montreal Botanical Garden is the largest in Canada. In 2008 it was designated a National Historic Site and it’s a place I never fail to visit when possible. I was there last week and thoroughly enjoyed it.
It is, of course, more than a single garden. There are 30, with different themes — including the Rose Garden with 10,000 bushes, a huge alpine garden, Japanese Garden, and Chinese Garden. There are 10 greenhouses with tropical plants and there’s an arboretum that covers over half of the property. While the trees may be huge and impressive, there are also extraordinary miniature ones featured in five bonsai collections.
In the Japanese Garden there’s a miniature juniper, a donation from the Nippon Bonsai Society of Japan that has been outliving caregivers for 275 years. I can’t imagine the stress of being responsible for its continued survival. All the bonsai I saw were spellbinding, though the one that captivated me the most was not just a single tiny tree but a small forest, all contained in nothing bigger than a roast pan.
From Japan I crossed into China, where the garden was looking a little different compared to the last time I visited. This normally serene area had an added feature this year — people in boats, fishing on the lake.
These were not real people or real boats, but large, Chinese lantern style models set in place for an event called Gardens of Light.
It will take place after sunset from Sept. 6 to Oct. 31 and promises to be magical spectacle. It isn’t limited to the Chinese garden but also includes displays in the Japanese garden and the First Nations Garden, yet another area to explore.
I’d love to experience this nighttime show, but on this visit I had to be satisfied with plants and gardens, and there were more to see, not least of which was massive perennial garden. This area is in a style that features the elegant symmetrical lines of France and the mixed borders of England. So appropriate in this bilingual city.
If there’s one remarkable thing about the 1,700 species and cultivars grown there, all nicely labelled, it’s the size of plants compared to any I grow in my own garden. The perennials grow so well because of the climate in Montreal. Winter is much colder than here and has considerably more snow, which blankets the gardens deeply, protecting the plants. The soil beneath hardly freezes and when the snow melts in spring, the plants burst forth; no waiting for the ground to thaw.
Along the trails and paths elsewhere are flower beds of annuals with the latest varieties. I spotted Sedum mexicanum ‘Lemon Coral,’ a new favourite of mine being used as a ground cover. There was Dichondra argentea ‘Silver Falls,’ also used as a ground cover. It’s typically seen as a trailing plant spilling from a container, yet here it was creeping along beside a stone pathway.
That’s the beauty of a visit to Jardin Botanique de Montréal. Even with the amazing plants and elaborate gardens, little things can catch our attention and provide inspiration for our own gardens. Put this place on your life list and you won’t regret it.
In the meantime, you can view photos here that I’ve taken over a number of visits: davegoo.myportfolio.com/montreal
David Hobson gardens in Waterloo and is happy to answer garden questions, preferably by email: garden@gto.net. Reach him by mail c/o In the Garden, The Record, 160 King St. E., Kitchener, Ont., N2G 4E5